;
Dagny in her kindergarten uniform with book bag and Blake in his day school garb.
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Education is when you read the fine print
Experience is what you get if you don't.
--Pete Seeger
“The revolution never ends. The real war, the one between good and evil . . . is the one fought within ourselves. The revolution never ends.
— Attributed to Abraham Woodhull, 1750-1826, AKA Samuel Cupler, Sr., American farmer and leading member of the Culper Spy Ring in New York during the American Revolution. Woodhull is played by Andrew James Matfin “Jamie” Bell, English actor, in the AMC television series, TURN: Washington’s Spies.
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For those who are impressed with Israeli technology:
http://www.israelvideonetwork.
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While we worry, and rightfully so, about Russian interference in our political campaigns and alleged "collusion" it is also possible organizations are assisting in fomenting trouble. I would put nothing past radical Liberals and progressives.Spreading disinformation is something that is an old method of creating dissension. and supplying "head busters" was an old ploy used by union boss goons.(See 1 below.)
Bannon unloads. He should have known his interview would find the light of day. Lincoln purposely had a diverse cabinet partly because he wanted to keep his enemies close at hand
It would be tragic if Trump allowed the mass media to force him into having a cabinet of AK"s. There is nothing disloyal about opposing what your boss thinks . Disloyalty occurs when you go public. Keep disagreements in house. That is healthier and far more beneficial if you truly want to serve the nation.
I was offered the opportunity to come to Wall Street twice when I worked for my second firm and I turned the opportunity down because I did not want to live in New York, raise a family there and I knew I would be too outspoken and would not last.
Obama's Cabinet was full of obsequious AK' who did his bidding without questioning. Rice, Lerner etc.all marched the plank in his behalf and service. Since he allegedly was deemed to be the smartest in the room he seldom listened to advisors except Valerie Jarrett, his surrogate mother. We are in the mess we are in in The Middle East patly because he would not listen to his military advisors, despised the military and undid what GW finally achieved by sticking his neck out and embracing "The Surge."(See 1a below.)
Meanwhile,Netanyahu's son is more concerned about the new Nazis' on the left. (See 1b below.)
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Many of my liberal friends and fellow memo readers have universally deplored Trump's response to Charllottesville Thus is one of the comments I received:
"I hope this email finds you and Lynn well.
I need to turn to my favorite Republican for an opinion. As you probably know, I am not a Trump fan. Being a NJ native and living close to Atlantic City, I know more about him than I care to. He has always been a despicable person. I had major concerns when he was elected and he is living up to my worst nightmares.
I am frighteningly concerned at this point. I need your take on how you see the current situation. It is important for me to see how an intelligent loyal Republican interprets our President.
Warmest regards, N---"
My response: "I am a conservative not a Republican. Republicans are not conservative though they talk like they are. Read my memo web page: dick-deom.blogspo.com
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1)
Trump is his own worst enemy but Obama was America's worst enemy.
Dick
Thanks for the flattery. Trust all is well. Me"
One of my hero's was, and will always be, Martin Luther King for several reasons. First, he was on the right side of the Civil Right's Issues. Second, he understood optics and was effective. He knew defenseless black citizens, being attacked by dogs, fire hoses and clubs, would make the case far better than thugs responding to thugs. Third, he was eloquent.
Trump is not an anti-Semite, nor racist. He does not respond in as sensitive and timely a manner to racial issues now that he is president as is effective for his political being and nothing he says or does will be acceptable but he is no racist nor an anti-Semite. His real estate organization is full of women and black citizens in important positions as is his Cabinet. Unlike most Republican candidates, he went into the black churches and organizations and appealed to the black community. He tasked them straight up, "what do you have to lose." He made them think about how they were being played for fools. He exposed the hypocrisy of liberals and progressives. He asked them to join hands. He penetrated the Democrat cause of duplicity. He beat Hillary and it galls them to this day.
Trump is not presidential in the vein of past presidents. He is boorish/churlish, he is unwise in his responses to those with whom he disagrees. He is not a gifted speaker. He is not smooth and silver tongued as Obama. He is too often his own worst enemy but he is not-ant-Semitic or racist. That is a liberal tag they have placed on him but it speaks to their bias, their prejudice more than Trump's.
His response of proportionality is no different than that of all State Department responses when Israel defends itself and is totally in line with how Obama always responded to racial issues. But, in the eyes of liberals and assorted radicals, Obama is a saint a saviour, Trump and ogre. Many of the racial divides confronting us today were heightened by Obama. We are living the consequences of Obama's play book taken right out of his own radical/fascist disciples and you know who they are.
I deplore law breakers from whatever side of the political spectrum. There was no need for the anti - Supremacy crowd to taunt the goons, to carry weapons, though legal, to engage in attacking the nut cases. Getting down on the level of your enemy may be acceptable in war in order to win but in social street battles I have a problem with such. Hitler allegedly said : In order to defeat me, you will become like me."
I still believe Truman was correct to unleash the atom bomb on Japan but I also know it is why we have "Fat Boy" and an "Ayatollah Iran" today. If man cannot come to his senses and control his appetite for destruction , if "man's inhumanity to man" dictates his behaviour then we are doomed in any event.
I am not defending Trump. I am not apologizing for his behaviour. I am simply being proportional and factual and liberals and progressives do not take kindly to those with whom they disagree and to whom they have few valid defenses because of their own hypocrisy.
I know the haters, the true anti-Semites and racists do not speak for this nation but I also know if we stand idly by and allow their bile to go unanswered we are no better than them.
I live by this fervent belief : God save me from the self-righteous do gooders but neihter will I choose to be intimidated"
This is a letter Rabbi Berg , of Atlanta's The Temple (bombed by a man named Bright in the '60's), sent to his congregation. I find it appealing, balanced and very worth posting. (See 2 below.)
More food for thought.
When cooler heads prevail and time passes we will look back and find all this misplaced zeal backfired and probably will result in reverse prejudice and discrimination just as formed the basis for "affirmative action."
From monuments to libraries is a shirt distance.(See 2a and 2b below.)
http://dailycaller.com/2017/
When cooler heads prevail and time passes we will look back and find all this misplaced zeal backfired and probably will result in reverse prejudice and discrimination just as formed the basis for "affirmative action."
From monuments to libraries is a shirt distance.(See 2a and 2b below.)
http://dailycaller.com/2017/
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Trump's tweeting is often off the mark and/or uncalled for and is often more puerile than smart. In the case of Amazon's founder and now owner of The Washington Post, I do believe one can ask did he purchase this paper to be able to punish his political adversaries and shield his company from questionable and/or very aggressive market behaviour. Bertie McCormick and Hearst did it why not Bezos? (See 3 below.)
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Trump's tweeting is often off the mark and/or uncalled for and is often more puerile than smart. In the case of Amazon's founder and now owner of The Washington Post, I do believe one can ask did he purchase this paper to be able to punish his political adversaries and shield his company from questionable and/or very aggressive market behaviour. Bertie McCormick and Hearst did it why not Bezos? (See 3 below.)
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__________________________________
1)
Why Was This 'Crowd Hire' Company Recruiting $25 An Hour 'Political Activists' In Charlotte Last Week?
by Tyler Durden
Trump ignited a political firestorm yesterday during an impromptu press conference in which he said there was "blame on both sides [4]" for the tragic events that occurred in Charlottesville over the weekend.
Now, the discovery of a craigslist ad posted last Monday [5], almost a full week before the Charlottesville protests, is raising new questions over whether paid protesters were sourced by a Los Angeles based "public relations firm specializing in innovative events" to serve as agitators in counterprotests.
The ad was posted by a company called "Crowds on Demand [6]" and offered $25 per hour to "actors and photographers" to participate in events in the "Charlotte, NC area." While the ad didn't explicitly define a role to be filled by its crowd of "actors and photographers" it did ask applicants to comment on whether they were "ok with participating in peaceful protests." Here is the text from the ad:
[8]
So what is "Crowds on Demand [6]?" According to their own website, they're in the business of sourcing large crowds of people to "provide clients with protests, rallies, [and] flash-mobs" all over the country. They even have an entire page on their website dedicated to "Protests and Rallies [9]."
1a)
1b)
Echoing Trump, PM’s son claims ‘thugs of Antifa and Black Lives Matter are getting stronger’ while Nazis are a thing of the past.
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2) Temple Response to Antisemitic & Racist Activity
By Rabbi Peter Berg
Dear Temple Family, The violent antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia that we have experienced this week in Charlottesville and its aftermath weighs heavily on our hearts and minds. Over and again we have watched news videos of Americans chanting “Jews will not replace us” and “White lives matter.” To make matters worse, President Trump’s response has only emboldened the white nationalist movement. As a Jewish community, we are appalled to hear equivocation between those who march under a Nazi flag and those who say “never again.” As Americans, Jews, and human beings, we feel ashamed, scared, and outraged. We don’t have to look only to Charlottesville to witness or experience antisemitism and racism. We have heard that white nationalist rallies may be planned in Atlanta this weekend and in the days to come. We will follow the recommendations of the ADL and other groups who monitor hate activity as to the best course of action for us as a congregation. The premeditated targeting of civilians for political purposes by white supremacists and anti-Semites is domestic terrorism and has no place in America. If we as a Jewish community stand for anything, if our history matters not just for ourselves but as a beacon of justice for humanity, if we pride ourselves on being a prophetic voice, let us never stand idly by. As antisemitic and racist activity continues to escalate, we have a moral responsibility to act: name it, condemn it, and do something about it… but don't stand idly by. We as a people and certainly as a congregation have never stood silent in the face of such moral atrocity. As we approach this New Year, we as a country must rediscover our sense of horror and dread in the face of wrongdoing; to remember that some things in this world are absolutely and utterly wrong and must be called out. We are not alone in standing up to hatred and violence. We have each other. And, we are part of our Reform Movement, a network of hundreds of congregations and over a million Jews working together to pursue a better world. We invite you to join the work that we are doing as a movement and here at The Temple. This year, there are several ways to get involved: Call and email our elected officials to denounce violence and hatred in Charlottesville and everywhere. Ask them to visibly and consistently act to delegitimize white supremacy, antisemitism, and all forms of racism. Become active in the work of the Rothschild Social Justice Institute at The Temple. We know the work does not begin or end with the events of this past week. Join one of our social justice small groups and dedicate your full self to this work, knowing that we need you not just today, but in the coming months. For more information, visit www.the-temple.org/RSJI Attend The Temple’s mayoral debate focused on racial justice on October 24, 2017. Get involved with our local Jewish and civic community. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee have agendas that involve fighting this kind of hate in different ways. At times like this, as we look at our social media feeds, we may feel overwhelmed and isolated. Let us remember one of our core values at Temple – we need each other. We need each other not only to act, but to listen, to pray, and to offer one another comfort and hope. To that end, we invite you to join us for worship services and other communal gatherings. As always, your clergy are always available offer pastoral counseling and spiritual support. Please know that we are always security conscious at The Temple. We work every day to make The Temple a safe place through our excellent relationship with and presence of law enforcement, ongoing training and security equipment, and our agency partners. May we all be comforted at this difficult time. May we use it to realize the blessings we have in our lives to be messengers of God to this world in which we live. Then, indeed, it will be a better world for us, for our children, and for our children’s children. Rabbi Peter S. Berg Lauren Grien, President Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus Rabbi Steven H. Rau Cantor Deborah Hartman Rabbi David Spinrad Rabbi Lydia Medwin The Temple | 1589 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30309.
2a)
For two years, I have been grappling with how to relate to those of my fellow Orthodox Jews who, for reasons utterly mystifying to me, cannot see Donald Trump for what he is. I first tried logic, I tried appeals to truth, then justice, then facts, then emotion. That last one was particularly painful. It hurt like hell to hear people I love say they support elevating and electing a person of such egregious moral turpitude because of reasons like “but emails,” “but Obama,” “but Hillary is worse.” It didn’t matter which of their opinions were based on facts and which based on lies repeated endlessly until they were impossible to distinguish from reporting. They were intractable.
For my sanity, the only remaining option was to disengage from political discourse with the people close to me. Now I’m left with a lot of time to think about why people are doing this. I’m also committed to witnessing and keeping track of everything as it deteriorates, as if by obsessively witnessing - nearly all-day news consumption and tweeting resignedly into the void - I might make up for all that my fellows are pointedly ignoring.
Yesterday I read Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt’s piece asking “Why won’t Orthodox Jews condemn Trump’s ties to White Supremacists After Charlottesville?” I believe there are several reasons, and most of them are unpleasant to admit.
Many Jews maintain that he is “good” for Israel, though what that “good” is, I have yet to discern. Some assume that since he seems rich and successful, it stands to reason he must know how to turn around what they consider to be a disaster of a country. (It does not occur to them that most of his success is based on licensing deals and grift, not management skill.) Even at this late date, people are still answering these questions with “but Obama” and “but Hillary.”
But the main reason I think people are still refusing to condemn Trump is really simple: No one relishes admitting they made a serious error in judgement, least of all a group of people who pride themselves on exacting moral and ethical standards.
Supporting Trump required the donning of blinders so opaque that no amount of news coverage could get through. Once an individual decided the Access Hollywood tape was fine, or Judge Curiel, or the Khan family, or mocking the disabled, or any number of convenient times to have opted out, the only way for them to get through this was to hold their noses and keep going. If at some point Trump crossed a line they couldn’t stomach and they wanted out, it would force a reckoning with all the things they tacitly approved along the way, and the prospect of doing so threatens their identity. People who believe themselves to be fundamentally moral cannot abide the possibility that they have brought such a repugnant and incompetent person into power.
I still believe in the goodness of my fellow Jews. I refuse to believe that these righteous people whom I know, many of whom I love, are watching and listening to what President Trump has been doing and saying and still supporting him. That is inconceivable to me.
But everything changed yesterday. Yesterday, the President belligerently and full-throatedly defended a literal Nazi rally, doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on his claim that the violence came from both sides, and the “alt-left” didn’t even have a permit, to boot. The president of the United States of America claimed yesterday that a group of angry white men chanting, “Jews! Will not! Replace us! Jews! Will not! Replace us! Jews! Will not! Replace us! Blood and soil! Whose streets? Our streets!” was innocent. He seemed entirely deranged in his battle with the press for the cause of White Supremacy.
Maybe two days ago you could maintain the illusion that his initial statement on Saturday was merely him exercising meticulous patience, waiting for full information, which in itself requires a suspension of disbelief.
You can’t claim that anymore. He has shown us who he is.
The Jewish people can not afford the luxury of looking away to preserve our collective psyche. You, Orthodox man and woman, regardless of your vote, have a responsibility to stare in the face of what is happening, even if it makes you uncomfortable or hurts to consider that you had a part in making it real. Those of us who have been bearing witness all along can no longer bear this alone. You owe it to us, to yourselves, and to the American community to watch and listen to what the president says. Watch the rally that occurred on Shabbos. Watch the press conference from yesterday. There are Nazis marching in our streets, beating protesters, and committing murder. The president supports them. If you have ever uttered the phrase “Never Again,” the time has come for your blinders to go.
Elisheva Avital is a writer and editor living with her husband and three children in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
2b)This from FACTS not Memes
Now, the discovery of a craigslist ad posted last Monday [5], almost a full week before the Charlottesville protests, is raising new questions over whether paid protesters were sourced by a Los Angeles based "public relations firm specializing in innovative events" to serve as agitators in counterprotests.
The ad was posted by a company called "Crowds on Demand [6]" and offered $25 per hour to "actors and photographers" to participate in events in the "Charlotte, NC area." While the ad didn't explicitly define a role to be filled by its crowd of "actors and photographers" it did ask applicants to comment on whether they were "ok with participating in peaceful protests." Here is the text from the ad:
And a screenshot of the original post:Actors and Photographers Wanted in Charlotte
Crowds on Demand, a Los Angeles-based Public Relations firm specializing in innovative events, is looking for enthusiastic actors and photographers in the Charlotte, NC area to participate in our events. Our events include everything from rallies to protests to corporate PR stunts to celebrity scenes. The biggest qualification is enthusiasm, a "can-do" spirit. Pay will vary by event but typically is $25+ per hour plus reimbursements for gas/parking/Uber/public transit.
For more information about us, please visit www.crowdsondemand.com [7]
If you're interested in working with us, please reply to this posting with the following info:
- Full Name
- Prior relevant experience (as an actor/performer, photographer, brand ambassador, political activist, etc)
- When are you usually available for work?
- Resume (optional)
- If you're a photographer, what equipment do you use?
- Are you ok with participating in peaceful protests (optional)?
[8]So what is "Crowds on Demand [6]?" According to their own website, they're in the business of sourcing large crowds of people to "provide clients with protests, rallies, [and] flash-mobs" all over the country. They even have an entire page on their website dedicated to "Protests and Rallies [9]."
The CEO of Crowds on Demand denied to Snopes [10]that his firm was involved in the Charlottesville protests but refused to provide details on the specific purpose of the craigslist ad and/or why it was temporarily removed yesterday before being restored.Are you looking to create a buzz anywhere in the United States? At Crowds on Demand, we provide our clients with protests, rallies, flash-mobs, paparazzi events and other inventive PR stunts. These services are available across the country in every major U.S city, every major U.S metro area and even most smaller cities as well. We provide everything including the people, the materials and even the ideas. You can come to us with a specific plan of action and we can make it happen. OR, you can approach us with a general idea and we can help you plan the strategy then execute it.
We’ve made campaigns involving hundreds of people come to action in just days. We have a proven record of delivering major wins on even the toughest campaigns and delivering phenomenal experiences with even the most logistically challenging events.
Silly question, but if your cause is worthy of protest then why would you need to pay $25 per hour to get people to show up?"We were not involved in any capacity with the recent tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those impacted by the violence"
1a)
Bannon Breaks Silence: Slams "Far-Right Clowns", Vows "Economic War With China"
by Tyler Durden
After weeks of speculation about his future [4], Trump White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has broken free of his self-imposed exile, unloading a torrent of Scaramucci-esque comments to none other than Robert Kuttner - the editor of The American Prospect, a progressive publication (the cover lines on whose first two issues after Trump’s election were “Resisting Trump” and “Containing Trump."
Kuttner sets the surprising scene...
He began with China...
Kuttner sets the surprising scene...
But unload Bannon did:Trump’s embattled strategist phones me, unbidden, to opine on China, Korea, and his enemies in the administration...
Needless to say, I was a little stunned to get an email from Bannon’s assistant midday Tuesday, just as all hell was breaking loose once again about Charlottesville, saying that Bannon wished to meet with me.
He began with China...
Contrary to Trump’s threat of fire and fury, Bannon said of Korea:“We’re at economic war with China,” he added. “It’s in all their literature. They’re not shy about saying what they’re doing. One of us is going to be a hegemon in 25 or 30 years and it’s gonna be them if we go down this path.”
Bannon said he might consider a deal in which China got North Korea to freeze its nuclear buildup with verifiable inspections and the United States removed its troops from the peninsula, but such a deal seemed remote. Given that China is not likely to do much more on North Korea, and that the logic of mutually assured destruction was its own source of restraint, Bannon saw no reason not to proceed with tough trade sanctions against China.
“To me,” Bannon said, “the economic war with China is everything. And we have to be maniacally focused on that. If we continue to lose it, we're five years away, I think, ten years at the most, of hitting an inflection point from which we'll never be able to recover.”
Bannon’s plan of attack includes: a complaint under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act against Chinese coercion of technology transfers from American corporations doing business there, and follow-up complaints against steel and aluminum dumping."On Korea, [China's] just tapping us along. It’s just a sideshow."
“There’s no military solution [to North Korea’s nuclear threats], forget it.
Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us.”
Bannon went on to describe his battle inside the administration to take a harder line on China trade, and not to fall into a trap of wishful thinking in which complaints against China’s trade practices now had to take a backseat to the hope that China, as honest broker, would help restrain Kim.
With regard his internal adversaries, at the departments of State and Defense, who think the United States can enlist Beijing’s aid on the North Korean standoff, and at Treasury and the National Economic Council who don’t want to mess with the trading system, Bannon was ever harsher...“We’re going to run the tables on these guys. We’ve come to the conclusion that they’re in an economic war and they’re crushing us.”
Bannon dismissed the far-right as irrelevant:“Oh, they’re wetting themselves,” he said, explaining that the Section 301 complaint, which was put on hold when the war of threats with North Korea broke out, was shelved only temporarily, and will be revived in three weeks. As for other cabinet departments, Bannon has big plans to marginalize their influence.
“That’s a fight I fight every day here,” he said. “We’re still fighting. There’s Treasury and [National Economic Council chair] Gary Cohn and Goldman Sachs lobbying.”
“We gotta do this. The president’s default position is to do it, but the apparatus is going crazy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s like, every day.”
And finally, Bannon scoffed at The Democrats...“Ethno-nationalism—it's losers. It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more.”
“These guys are a collection of clowns,” he added.
“...the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”
1b)
Yair Netanyahu says leftists more dangerous than neo-Nazis
Echoing Trump, PM’s son claims ‘thugs of Antifa and Black Lives Matter are getting stronger’ while Nazis are a thing of the past.
The son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said American left-wing groups are more dangerous than neo-Nazis.
Weighing in on the weekend’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a far-right march, and US President Donald Trump’s controversial statements that “both sides were to blame” for the deadly incident, Yair Netanyahu said he was far more concerned by leftist organizations that have recently come into public focus.
“To put things in perspective,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook, “I’m a Jew, I’m an Israeli, the neo nazis scums [sic] in Virginia hate me and my country. But they belong to the past. Their breed is dying out.
“However the thugs of Antifa and [Black Lives Matter] who hate my country (and America too in my view) just as much are getting stronger and stronger and becoming super dominant in American universities and public life.”
The Israeli premier himself tweeted Tuesday that he was “outraged by expressions of anti-Semitism, neo-Nazism and racism. Everyone should oppose this hatred,” after he was criticized for staying silent on Charlottesville.
In a response Wednesday afternoon to Yair Netanyahu’s comments, sources close to the prime minister said, “Yair is an adult and his views are his alone”
Trump’s stance was also supported by Likud MK Oren Hazan, who said Tuesday that the president “is right. Violence and extremism on any side is forbidden and demands condemnation. That doesn’t matter to the bleeding hearts on the left and in the media. After all, they believe that only the right is extremist and violent.”
Other Israeli politicians — from left and right — have been far more critical of Trump’s position, some more directly than others.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett has called on US leaders to denounce the rally’s “displays of anti-Semitism.” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of Bennett’s Jewish Home party has urged prosecution of neo-Nazi activists.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, left, and Education Minister Naftali Bennett arrive at the first cabinet meeting of the Israel’s 34th government at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on May 15, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Yesh Atid chair MK Yair Lapid and Zionist Union number two MK Tzipi Livni explicitly criticized Trump’s equivalence.
“There aren’t two sides,” Lapid said in a Wednesday statement. “When Neo-Nazis march in Charlottesville and scream slogans against Jews and in support of white supremacy, the condemnation has to be unambiguous. They represent hate and evil. Anyone who believes in the human spirit must stand against them without fear.”
Livni said “When it comes to racism, anti-Semitism and Nazism, there are never two equal sides. There’s good and there’s evil. Period.”
Trump sparked a political firestorm Tuesday when he doubled down on his initial response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that ended in bloodshed, saying there was “blame on both sides.”
The Republican president — who the previous day solemnly denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as “criminals and thugs” — also hit out at what he called the “alt-left” over the weekend melee.
Trump has faced days of criticism from across the political spectrum over his reaction to Saturday’s unrest in the Virginia college town, where a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue erupted in clashes with counter-demonstrators.
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The violent fracas ended in bloodshed when a 20-year-old suspected Nazi sympathizer, James Fields, plowed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters, leaving one woman dead and 19 people injured.
In a rowdy exchange with journalists at Trump Tower in New York, Trump made clear on Tuesday that he was fed up with continued questioning about the issue.
“I think there is blame on both sides,” Trump said.
As he spoke, his new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, a former Marine general, appeared displeased during the president’s long tirade, standing rigidly.
“You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now,” Trump continued. “What about the alt-left that came charging… at the, as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt?… There are two sides to a story.”
“What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I am concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments were immediately welcomed by David Duke, a former “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan and a key figure at Saturday’s rally.
“Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists,” Duke tweeted.
Torch-wielding white supremacists march at the University of Virginia on August 11, 2017 (Screen Capture/ YouTube)
But on the political left, the president’s words were met with indignation.
“Charlottesville violence was fueled by one side: white supremacists spreading racism, intolerance & intimidation. Those are the facts,” said Tim Kaine, a former Democratic vice presidential candidate and senator from Virginia.
The state’s other Democratic senator, Mark Warner, tweeted: “No words.”
Trump’s fellow Republicans also didn’t mince words.
“We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive,” Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote on Twitter.
“This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.”
When asked why he waited until Monday to explicitly condemn hate groups present in Charlottesville, Trump said he wanted to be careful not to make a “quick statement” on Saturday without all the facts.
“I wanted to make sure, unlike most politicians, that what I said was correct,” Trump insisted.
Trump called Fields, who has been charged with second-degree murder, a “disgrace to himself, his family and this country.”
But he also said that while there were troublemakers at the rally, there were also many people there “to innocently protest and very legally protest” the removal of a “very important statue” of Confederate general Robert E Lee.
“I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?” he said angrily, referring to the fact they owned slaves.
“Are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? … You’re changing history. You’re changing culture.”
2) Temple Response to Antisemitic & Racist Activity
By Rabbi Peter Berg
Dear Temple Family, The violent antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia that we have experienced this week in Charlottesville and its aftermath weighs heavily on our hearts and minds. Over and again we have watched news videos of Americans chanting “Jews will not replace us” and “White lives matter.” To make matters worse, President Trump’s response has only emboldened the white nationalist movement. As a Jewish community, we are appalled to hear equivocation between those who march under a Nazi flag and those who say “never again.” As Americans, Jews, and human beings, we feel ashamed, scared, and outraged. We don’t have to look only to Charlottesville to witness or experience antisemitism and racism. We have heard that white nationalist rallies may be planned in Atlanta this weekend and in the days to come. We will follow the recommendations of the ADL and other groups who monitor hate activity as to the best course of action for us as a congregation. The premeditated targeting of civilians for political purposes by white supremacists and anti-Semites is domestic terrorism and has no place in America. If we as a Jewish community stand for anything, if our history matters not just for ourselves but as a beacon of justice for humanity, if we pride ourselves on being a prophetic voice, let us never stand idly by. As antisemitic and racist activity continues to escalate, we have a moral responsibility to act: name it, condemn it, and do something about it… but don't stand idly by. We as a people and certainly as a congregation have never stood silent in the face of such moral atrocity. As we approach this New Year, we as a country must rediscover our sense of horror and dread in the face of wrongdoing; to remember that some things in this world are absolutely and utterly wrong and must be called out. We are not alone in standing up to hatred and violence. We have each other. And, we are part of our Reform Movement, a network of hundreds of congregations and over a million Jews working together to pursue a better world. We invite you to join the work that we are doing as a movement and here at The Temple. This year, there are several ways to get involved: Call and email our elected officials to denounce violence and hatred in Charlottesville and everywhere. Ask them to visibly and consistently act to delegitimize white supremacy, antisemitism, and all forms of racism. Become active in the work of the Rothschild Social Justice Institute at The Temple. We know the work does not begin or end with the events of this past week. Join one of our social justice small groups and dedicate your full self to this work, knowing that we need you not just today, but in the coming months. For more information, visit www.the-temple.org/RSJI Attend The Temple’s mayoral debate focused on racial justice on October 24, 2017. Get involved with our local Jewish and civic community. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee have agendas that involve fighting this kind of hate in different ways. At times like this, as we look at our social media feeds, we may feel overwhelmed and isolated. Let us remember one of our core values at Temple – we need each other. We need each other not only to act, but to listen, to pray, and to offer one another comfort and hope. To that end, we invite you to join us for worship services and other communal gatherings. As always, your clergy are always available offer pastoral counseling and spiritual support. Please know that we are always security conscious at The Temple. We work every day to make The Temple a safe place through our excellent relationship with and presence of law enforcement, ongoing training and security equipment, and our agency partners. May we all be comforted at this difficult time. May we use it to realize the blessings we have in our lives to be messengers of God to this world in which we live. Then, indeed, it will be a better world for us, for our children, and for our children’s children. Rabbi Peter S. Berg Lauren Grien, President Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus Rabbi Steven H. Rau Cantor Deborah Hartman Rabbi David Spinrad Rabbi Lydia Medwin The Temple | 1589 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30309.
2a)
Trump
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For two years, I have been grappling with how to relate to those of my fellow Orthodox Jews who, for reasons utterly mystifying to me, cannot see Donald Trump for what he is. I first tried logic, I tried appeals to truth, then justice, then facts, then emotion. That last one was particularly painful. It hurt like hell to hear people I love say they support elevating and electing a person of such egregious moral turpitude because of reasons like “but emails,” “but Obama,” “but Hillary is worse.” It didn’t matter which of their opinions were based on facts and which based on lies repeated endlessly until they were impossible to distinguish from reporting. They were intractable.
For my sanity, the only remaining option was to disengage from political discourse with the people close to me. Now I’m left with a lot of time to think about why people are doing this. I’m also committed to witnessing and keeping track of everything as it deteriorates, as if by obsessively witnessing - nearly all-day news consumption and tweeting resignedly into the void - I might make up for all that my fellows are pointedly ignoring.
Yesterday I read Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt’s piece asking “Why won’t Orthodox Jews condemn Trump’s ties to White Supremacists After Charlottesville?” I believe there are several reasons, and most of them are unpleasant to admit.
Many Jews maintain that he is “good” for Israel, though what that “good” is, I have yet to discern. Some assume that since he seems rich and successful, it stands to reason he must know how to turn around what they consider to be a disaster of a country. (It does not occur to them that most of his success is based on licensing deals and grift, not management skill.) Even at this late date, people are still answering these questions with “but Obama” and “but Hillary.”
But the main reason I think people are still refusing to condemn Trump is really simple: No one relishes admitting they made a serious error in judgement, least of all a group of people who pride themselves on exacting moral and ethical standards.
Supporting Trump required the donning of blinders so opaque that no amount of news coverage could get through. Once an individual decided the Access Hollywood tape was fine, or Judge Curiel, or the Khan family, or mocking the disabled, or any number of convenient times to have opted out, the only way for them to get through this was to hold their noses and keep going. If at some point Trump crossed a line they couldn’t stomach and they wanted out, it would force a reckoning with all the things they tacitly approved along the way, and the prospect of doing so threatens their identity. People who believe themselves to be fundamentally moral cannot abide the possibility that they have brought such a repugnant and incompetent person into power.
I still believe in the goodness of my fellow Jews. I refuse to believe that these righteous people whom I know, many of whom I love, are watching and listening to what President Trump has been doing and saying and still supporting him. That is inconceivable to me.
But everything changed yesterday. Yesterday, the President belligerently and full-throatedly defended a literal Nazi rally, doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on his claim that the violence came from both sides, and the “alt-left” didn’t even have a permit, to boot. The president of the United States of America claimed yesterday that a group of angry white men chanting, “Jews! Will not! Replace us! Jews! Will not! Replace us! Jews! Will not! Replace us! Blood and soil! Whose streets? Our streets!” was innocent. He seemed entirely deranged in his battle with the press for the cause of White Supremacy.
Maybe two days ago you could maintain the illusion that his initial statement on Saturday was merely him exercising meticulous patience, waiting for full information, which in itself requires a suspension of disbelief.
You can’t claim that anymore. He has shown us who he is.
The Jewish people can not afford the luxury of looking away to preserve our collective psyche. You, Orthodox man and woman, regardless of your vote, have a responsibility to stare in the face of what is happening, even if it makes you uncomfortable or hurts to consider that you had a part in making it real. Those of us who have been bearing witness all along can no longer bear this alone. You owe it to us, to yourselves, and to the American community to watch and listen to what the president says. Watch the rally that occurred on Shabbos. Watch the press conference from yesterday. There are Nazis marching in our streets, beating protesters, and committing murder. The president supports them. If you have ever uttered the phrase “Never Again,” the time has come for your blinders to go.
Elisheva Avital is a writer and editor living with her husband and three children in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
2b)This from FACTS not Memes
One of the easiest ways to demonize your ideological opponents when you don’t have an actual argument is finding creative ways to use their own words against them. Unfortunately, this tactic tends to backfire.
In this image, we see a familiar character presented as a Trump supporter struggling to choose between preserving history and somehow rewarding “losers” with trophies. From this, we’re supposed to walk away with the idea that President Donald Trump and his supporters are hypocritical for wanting historic Confederate statues to remain where they are.
This logic misses the point entirely. The purpose of statues of Confederate figures such as Robert E. Lee is to immortalize history for the lessons contained within, not out of any sense of veneration or even lukewarm respect.
We see examples of this on the left as well. There are dozens of statues of communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, for example, whose reign of Russia included the imprisonment and execution of political dissidents. You don’t see any calls from ideologues to take these statues down, and for good reason — this imagery prompts further investigation into the actual history behind these figures.
Now, there are certainly people living in the American South who still sympathize with the Confederate cause in the Civil War. But suggesting their influence on the rest of the body politic is in any way significant outside of their little hive minds is grossly misguided at best.
2c)The New York Post
2c)The New York Post
President Trump caught a lot of heat this week when he asked whether statues of George Washington or Thomas Jefferson would be next if those who wished to take down a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va., got their way.
But he could have backed up his remark by pointing to something that happened here in New York last fall when demonstrators demanded that the well-known statue of one of his predecessors — Theodore Roosevelt — be taken down from its familiar perch in front of the Museum of Natural History.
The problem with Trump’s statement wasn’t so much the rights and wrongs of the statue controversy. The context was an attempt by neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to use Lee as a rallying point for an anti-Semitic and racist demonstration that led to a vehicular terror attack. The president should have stuck to a condemnation of those horrors rather than engaging in moral equivalence between the racists and their opponents or the debate over statues.
But once we get past Trump’s stubborn refusal to stick to a position that might unite the country, the question of toppling statues must be addressed. Public images of America’s past are quickly becoming the focus of revisionist history that some liberals believe requires us to tear down memorials to those associated with slavery, or, as in the case of TR, prone to say some things that would be judged politically incorrect in the 21st century.
That iconic equestrian image of TR (in which he’s shown as a cowboy rather than as a Spanish American War Rough Rider as the “Night at the Museum” movie series depicted the statue) drew fire because protesters see the monument, in which the 26th president is flanked by an African-American and Native American, as an expression of white supremacy.
Many on the left also damn Roosevelt as an imperialist, although without his efforts to establish America as a global power it is unlikely that the United States could have saved the world from the Nazis a generation later.
Are revisionist radicals capable of enforcing a new standard that could lead to past presidents being evicted from our public squares? Maybe.
A generation ago, nobody would have thought Washington or Jefferson controversial. Now it appears that even Mount Rushmore isn’t safe since among its quartet of greats only Lincoln might be exempt from the iconoclasts.
The movement to send America’s greatest heroes down George Orwell’s “memory hole”will likely gain more support now that neo-Nazis and, perhaps, Trump are seen as the primary advocates of maintaining the status quo.
But, contrary to Trump’s assertion, it doesn’t have to be a simple choice of keep them all or tear them all down.
While many of America’s Founding Fathers owned slaves, there’s a clear difference between their hypocrisy and those who sought to destroy the republic they created in order to safeguard slavery.
While we honor Washington and Jefferson for their defense of freedom, symbols like the Confederate battle flag and many of the monuments to that lost cause are more about the defense of Jim Crow than the memory of the Civil War.
Even among Confederate statuary there are distinctions to be made. Surely, memorials honoring fallen soldiers rather than the cause they served — such as the memorial in Durham, NC, that was torn down by a leftist mob this week — should be exempt. The problem now is that if statues of figures like Lee are to become rallying points for violent hate groups, then there’s an argument to be made for relegating them to museums and out of public view.
Yet we also have a duty to defend figures like Roosevelt from these depredations. In addition to being a great president and uniquely heroic figure, TR’s place in front of the museum on Central Park West is a tribute to his status as our nation’s greatest environmentalist and has nothing to do with contemporary notions about diversity.
It’s possible and necessary for a rational society to make distinctions between monuments erected to bolster segregation and those that are genuine expressions of patriotism and America’s highest ideals.
Those who lack the moral compass to tell the difference shouldn’t be making these kinds of decisions.
Jonathan S. Tobin is opinion editor of JNS.org and a contributor to National Review
2d)
By Lou Phelps, Savannah Business Journal
August 16, 2017 – As major cities in the U.S. move to remove statues and other landmarks that honor the history of the Confederacy and the Civil War in the South, the issue is on the minds of many in Savannah.
The Board of Governors of The Landings has informed residents in this month’s newsletter that the name of The Plantation Clubhouse will be changed.
According to Executive Director Steven Freund, speaking for the Board, “Our Club welcomes members from every walk of life and background more so than most clubs of our type. We’re multi-generational, regionally, nationally and ethnically diverse with a unifying desire to share the rewards of a life well-lived with nice people. Consequently, we’ve taken time to walk in the shoes of members and staff and believe it’s time for a change. With the impetus for the decision noted below, we have proposed a change to the name of our Plantation Clubhouse and possibly the golf course.”
“This has been an issue of consequence for many of our staff for a long time. Although it has never been a flashpoint, it has come up periodically even though team members with the courage to express their feelings have pointed out that our Club is “not that way” meaning that we are a good and fair employer, a meritocracy providing growth opportunities for all based on talent and effort, not skin color. However, we have heard firsthand accounts that staff is challenged from time to time by family and friends for working at a “Plantation.” Further, I have had a chance to meet with African American members, members who love our community and Club but are questioned by their family and friends about calling a place with the moniker “Plantation” home. I have also heard from staff and members that they are troubled by the accompanying ties to that part of our country’s history,” according to Freund.
“One member was particularly persuasive on this point and recognized that change of this sort can take time. Our promise was to bring this idea for consideration to our House Committee and our Board of Governors for reaction and guidance. We have also talked to staff of all backgrounds about a name change, and the strong response was that this is the right time and circumstance to take this step. A better way to say it is that we are considering this change because we believe now is the right time rather than changing due to compulsion or pressure,” he explained.
As with the name of the restaurant, The Landings Association’s House Committee will work with the community’s Golf and Green Committee to determine options on the name for the Board to consider. “The easy solution would be to name the Clubhouse “Palmetto” but we believe it best to consider this and other creative options,” Freund wrote the residents in the almost 4,000 home community.
The goal is to have the name change resolved before the upcoming ribbon-cutting on the new restaurant at The Plantation clubhouse.
He added that the Board’s intention is to change the name of the golf course, as well, through a similar process. “The Plantation Golf Course is our only true links course – links being defined as a course routing that is out and back without returning to the clubhouse until the 18th hole. There are many possibilities to combine names tied to the southern end of our island with “links” such as “Delegal Links”, “Ossabaw Links” or something similar. Again, our members will deliberate and develop ideas for consideration by our Board of Governors.”
Freund also explained that the membership of the club is “more racially and ethnically diverse, is younger and looks ever increasingly like the rest of our country. So far, this proposal has been positively supported in all member and staff meetings,” he stated.
Stanford University is slated to offer a class this fall called “White Identity Politics,” during which students will “survey the field of whiteness studies” and discuss the “possibilities of … abolishing whiteness,” according to the course description.https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/35419/
Citing pundits who say “the 2016 Presidential election marks the rise of white identity politics in the United States,” the upper-level anthropology seminar will draw “from the field of whiteness studies and from contemporary writings that push whiteness studies in new directions.”
Questions to be posed throughout the semester include: “Does white identity politics exist?” and “How is a concept like white identity to be understood in relation to white nationalism, white supremacy, white privilege, and whiteness?”
“Students will consider the perils and possibilities of different political practices,” according to the course description, “including abolishing whiteness or coming to terms with white identity.”
The course will be taught by instructor John Patrick Moran. Reached by e-mail, Moran declined to comment, instead directing The College Fix to Stanford communication’s office.
Ernest Miranda, a spokesman for Stanford, told The Fix via e-mail that “‘abolishing whiteness’ is a concept put forward in the 1990s by a number of white historians. Their belief was that if other white people would, like them, stop identifying politically as white, it would help end inequalities.”
Miranda added that “abolishing whiteness” is “among the past and current concepts that will be considered” in the “White Identity Politics” course. The Fix requested a copy of the syllabus, but Miranda declined, saying “we do not share our course materials.”
Reached by e-mail, Stanford Professor Tomás Jiménez, who told The Fix that he sponsored astudent-led class at Stanford on whiteness last semester, said via e-mail that whiteness is “the set of behaviors and outlooks associated with the racial category, white.”
“Just about any social category and subcategory has a ‘…ness’ to it. So, liberals and conservatives; men and women; Wisconsinites and New Yorkers are all social categories, and adding ‘ness’ to any of them is shorthand for the behaviors and outlooks associated with that category,” said Jiménez, an associate professor of sociology and comparative studies in race and ethnicity.
Ah, the beauty of a microaggression. If you’re not overly familiar with the term, a microaggression is when you say something that’s not outright racist or sexist but still upsets the recipient of the said comment nonetheless.
Some examples of microaggressions include asking someone’s ethnicity in any non-approved manner and mistakenly thinking someone of a given race can speak a particular non-English language because of his or her ethnic heritage.
Now, to be clear, some so-called microaggressions are understandably an issue, but not because of bigotry. Some people just say stupid stuff that comes out very differently than how it was intended.
However, as The College Fix reports, some professors are being urged to treat that poor wording just the same as a punch to the face.
Professors attending a recent academic conference were advised to treat racial microaggressions in the classroom like actual assaults, according to attendees’ tweets.
The advice was doled out at a panel workshop at the annual Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, held in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The workshop at which the comments were made focused on ways to make theater for students of color a “safe space,” according to the conference’s program.
“A panel discussion exploring an adaption of the ‘Safe Spaces’ LQBTQ training model and applying it to faculty training for all theatre students of color,” the program states.
“Treating racism in our classrooms as we would an assault removes the burden from the victim and begins to create safe space,” one scholar in attendance, Professor Shawna Mefferd Kelty of SUNY Plattsburgh, tweeted out.
The problem, however, is that once again, the left is equating words with actual violence.
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3)
Trump Goes After Shadowy Liberal Billionaire
President Donald Trump slammed Amazon for hurting taxpayers in an early morning tweet Wednesday, blaming the company for Americans losing jobs.
“Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt – many jobs being lost!” Trump tweeted.
Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!
Trump has criticized Amazon and its owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos in the past, claiming Bezos bought The Washington Post to help Amazon.
“The Amazon Washington Post fabricated the facts on my ending massive, dangerous, and wasteful payments to Syrian rebels fighting Assad,” Trump tweeted in July. “So many stories about me in the @washingtonpost are Fake News. They are as bad as ratings challenged @CNN. Lobbyist for Amazon and taxes?”
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